Today's Prayer News• The Daily Brief
• The Middle East in Focus
• The Daily Jot
• All We Need To Know
• Making An Impact
• Be Careful What You Wish For
• ObamaCare Unraveling
• ObamaCare's Loan Survivor
• The Good News Corner
• Worship with Us Today!
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The Daily Brief - Wednesday, October 19, 2011
"Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth." (Revelation 3:10)
The Daily Brief
1. US on High Alert, Conducts Drill in Israel and Saudi Arabia - Arutz Sheva
The United States is conducting a week-long large-scale aerial exercise in Israel and Saudi Arabia as a navy fleet sails to the Mediterranean in preparation for any surprise flare-ups in the Middle East as Israel and frees 1,027 terrorists and security prisoners in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit.
- LORD, we thank You that You have provided the capabilities to our nation to move in defense of Israel and our allies. God, we ask that You send both divine protection and divine wisdom to those involved with this operation. May every action may be guided by Your discretion and sound judgement. We also pray that the fear of the Lord and Your righteous people will again come upon the enemies of Israel and the United States.
- "This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the nations under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you, and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you." (Deuteronomy 2:25)
2. U.S. intelligence on alert for Israeli strike on Iran - WorldNetDaily
The Pentagon is watching for the possibility that Israel could use the occasion of an alleged Iranian plot to kill the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States as a pretext for launching a long-anticipated attack on Iran's nuclear sites, according to a report from Joseph Farah's G2 Bulletin. The source, who is in a position to monitor Israeli defense activities, said the U.S. is watching "an indicator and warning matrix" in which the U.S. can "go so far as to plot the illumination tables to pick out what nights would be best" for such an attack. Read more.
-LORD, the world has watched as Israel has repeatedly demonstrated self control in dealing with Iran's expressed desires to utterly annihilate them. We ask You to intervene yet again. Oh God, give wisdom to Israel's military and governmental leaders not ignite the tinderbox in which they live unless it is Your divinely appointed time for victory. We unite to place this strategic matter into Your hands, and not the hands of man. Thank You Lord, that this matter is in Your control.
- "Arise, O Lord, Do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged in Your sight." (Psalm 9:19)
3. West Bank residents celebrate Schalit prisoner releases - Jerusalem Post
Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the West Bank on Tuesday morning to celebrate the impending release of prisoners in the first stage of the Gilad Schalit deal, Channel 2 news reported. Chants of "The people want a new Schalit," could be heard as Hamas and Fatah supporters waved flags together as part of large scale celebrations.
- LORD, We thank You that Galid Schalit is freed after 5 years of imprisonment and solitary confinement. We are sickened at the thought of over a 1,000 murderers and suicide bombers being released into the streets of the West Bank. We hear the arrogant cries of those awaiting, who demand capture of yet another Shalit. Lord, we pray for the salvation of these who hate Israel - so that the plans satan would like to accomplish through them shall be no more! Lord, we pray also that all Israel may know their Messiah, for then " You will make their enemies to be at peace with them." In Jesus' Name!
- "Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth. For the LORD is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed." (1 Samuel 2:3) "The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure." (Psalm 101:5)
4. Iran's nuclear program suffering new setbacks, diplomats and experts say - Washington Post
Iran's nuclear program, which stumbled badly after a reported cyberattack last year, appears beset by poorly performing equipment, shortages of parts and other woes as global sanctions exert a mounting toll, Western diplomats and nuclear experts say.
- LORD, we thank You that you have sent "mice into the corn", to sabotage the attempts of Iran to wipe out Israel with nuclear weapons. Broken equipment, cyberattacks, poorly performing equipment, shortages of parts, newly purchased centrifuges made of inferior metals. Thank You LORD, You are Awesome!! Protect those involved in this endeavor.
- "He frustrates the devices of the crafty so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise or anything of (lasting) worth." (Job 5:12 AMP) - "It is He who shall tread down our enemy." (Psalm 60:12b)
5. Economist Who Helped Cain Craft 9-9-9 Plan Backs Away From Sales Tax - Fox News
One of the key economists who helped presidential candidate Herman Cain draft his 9-9-9 tax plan is backing away from the most controversial component of it, warning that the criticism Cain endured at Tuesday night's Republican presidential debate shows his proposed 9 percent national sales tax might have to go.
- Offer praise that this candidate IS listening to his audiences, and is adapting his policy guidelines as he moves along the campaign trail.
Continue to lift up all media sources -- both liberal and conservative -- that each one would report the facts about each candidate in a truthful, nonbiased manner. Let the voters decide!
- (Come into agreement and alignment with this prayer request, please!) " . . . if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven." (Matthew 18:19)
6. Terror Link Downplayed in Courthouse Break-In - WOAI Radio; San Antonio, Texas
'Pictures of courthouses, water systems' from around the US found in the van used by five men believed to be Moroccan Muslims.
Five men in their twenties, described as French-Moroccan Muslims, are being questioned by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and by officials of the Department of Homeland Security after they were arrested inside the 120 year old Bexar County Courthouse in downtown San Antonio shortly before 2 this morning, 1200 WOAI news reports.
Officials say three of the men crawled through a window to get into the 120 year old Courthouse, which is a landmark in downtown San Antonio, and theother two were found in a van parked in front of the building.
Inside the van, officials say they found "photographs of infrastructure" including photos of shopping malls, water systems, courthouses and other public buildings which they say were taken in cities nationwide.
"They got travel documents, parking passes, they have been all over the country," one law enforcement officials who asked not to be identified told 1200 WOAI's Michael Board on the scene.
"A lot of photographic equipment, a lot of documentation equipment inside their vehicle."
Officials say the five men entered the country legally on visas from Heathrow Airport in London. They didn't immediately know how long the men have been in the U.S., or what places they may have visited.
Read more.
- Offer a great chorus of PRAISE that these potential terrorists were discovered, and their plans made known! Thank the Lord for the diligence of the law enforcement personnel in San Antonio, Texas, who caught these guys.
Pray that the men who were caught would feel the full weight of the law and would be incarcerated; and ask that all information they were carrying would lead to the discovery of other terrorist cells in our nation. Praise God!
- "What the wicked fears will come upon him, but the desire of the righteous will be granted." (Proverbs 10:24)
The Middle East in Focus
This week, for all the headlines cited below, please join us in proclaiming THIS DECREE:
"But now many nations are gathered against you. They say, "Let her be defiled, let our eyes gloat over Zion!" But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not know his plan," (Micah 4:11-12a)
1. Hamas leader: Shalit deal turning point in struggle against Israel - Ha'aretz
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh called the release of over 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the return of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on Tuesday a strategic turning point in Hamas's struggle against Israel.
2. Palestinian UN bid moves step further in UN Security Council - Ha'aretz
UN Security Council's membership committee said Tuesday a report of its discussion on the Palestinian application for membership would be ready next month.
3. Gilad Shalit met by ecstatic parade as he returns home after 5 years - Ha'aretz
Israel Defense Forces soldier Gilad Shalit was greeted by an ecstatic welcome from hundreds of his friends, relatives and supporters as he arrived at his home in the northern town of Mitzpe Hila on Tuesday afternoon, hours after he was reunited with his parents and brother for the first time since he was abducted and taken to Gaza in June 2006.
4. Palestinians riot as Prisoner exchange deal is completed - Ynet News
Some 100 Palestinians hurled rocks and clashed with IDF troops near the Ofer Base. The Palestinians were angered by the decision to release the Palestinian prisoners in Ramallah rather than through the Beitunia crossing.
The Daily Jot
Upside Down
The world is pretty much upside-down. We have presidential candidates in the United States who profess Christianity, but are unwilling to call a cult a cult. Heaven forbid that a Christian offend anyone with the truth! We have a president who says of communist, Islamist, anti-American protestors, "we understand their struggles and we are on their side." We have politicians who believed the ill-minded idea that they could spend trillions of taxpayer dollars that they didn't have and somehow create enough debt that the nation would prosper. And through it all, we have people who say they are followers of Christ who get angry when these "truths" are pointed out. The world is upside-down.
Just take the so-called "Palestinian" issue as an example. The Arabs and Islam have millions of acres of land and have their own closed societies over a significant portion of the world. They have oil money. Slave money. Drug money. Yet with all their wealth and property, they contend for a small area of land near Jerusalem--a land that has absolutely no true religious or ancestral value to the Islamist. But it has one thing that Muslims are directed to eradicate by their very holy book--Jews. So they are demanding a piece of Jerusalem and most of its surrounding land. Politicians are so caught up in this group think that they believe if they give these terrorists what they want, there will be peace. Upside-down.
Things are just off. This is a point in time of history where a movement of God would be quite noticeable. I am not talking about a crazy, radical, name it claim it, shout it out, a holy being defined as bizarre movement. But a movement of God in each man's heart, soberly, solemnly, joyfully, humble, from one to another. Isaiah 5:20 says, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." As one might discern, our American society, many cultures, if not most, worldwide suffer woe because evil is called good and good is called evil. Isaiah 5:25: "Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people." Things are upside-down.
In Acts 17, Paul reasoned with the Jews on three sabbath days, preaching Christ to them "out of the scriptures." Some Jews believed as did a great multitude of Greeks. But the Jews which did not believe organized some thugs, caused an uproar in the city and assaulted the house of Jason, where Paul and Silas were staying. They didn't find Paul and Silas, but they took Jason to the rulers of the city. Verse 6 says, "...crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason hath received and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying there is another king, one Jesus." One way, it seems, to try to make things right side up again is to preach the gospel from the scriptures. It worked with Paul and Silas by the unbelievers own admission.
Have a Blessed and Powerful Day!
Bill Wilson
www.dailyjot.com
All We Need To Know
In the past 24 hours Obama and Harry Reid have told us all we need to know about their agenda. In an interview with ABC News, Obama had the audacity to tell Jake Tapper, "I believe all the choices we've made have been the right ones."
Really? The $800 billion stimulus bill that gave us a higher, not lower, unemployment rate was the right choice? An unconstitutional, trillion-dollar socialized medicine scheme that most Americans want to repeal was the right choice? In other words, he hasn't done anything wrong -- he just hasn't done enough of it yet! (That explains why he just proposed another massive stimulus bill.)
And, once again, Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid is rushing to defend Big Government largesse. First it was cowboy poetry. Now it's government bureaucrats. On the Senate floor this morning, Harry Reid said -- and I quote -- "It's very clear that private-sector jobs have been doing just fine; it's the public-sector jobs where we've lost huge numbers, and that's what this legislation is all about."
So with 9.1% unemployment, Harry Reid thinks the private sector is "doing just fine"? Reid is so concerned with how much Big Government is suffering, and what we really need right now is a bailout of the public sector.
The Congressional Budget Office reported recently that federal expenditures are up -- not down. In fiscal year 2011, the government spent a record $3.6 trillion and posted its second highest deficit ever of $1.298 trillion.
As a reminder, the deficit in 2007 was $161 billion, just 1.2% of GDP. Obama's deficit this year is $1,298 billion, nearly 9% of GDP. And that's not enough for Harry Reid.
There is never enough of your money for the liberal Democrats. The best way to stop their taxing and spending is to stop them at the ballot box! (Gary Bauer)
Making An Impact
As Obama and the Democrats continue to embrace the Occupy Wall Street Movement, the Republican National Committee is going on the attack. Yesterday the RNC issued a press release asking "Where's the outrage?" The release included a link to the ad produced by the Emergency Committee for Israel showing the disgusting anti-Semitism on display at the Occupy Wall Street protests.
As you may know, I am on the board of the Emergency Committee for Israel (ECI), along with my good friends Bill Kristol and Rachel Abrams. I am proud of the work ECI is doing. It is one more example of the ways in which we are making an impact! (Gary Bauer)
To view the video from ECI, go here.
Be Careful What You Wish For
Seriously, folks, you may think that it is silly to suggest that some in the Occupy Wall Street movement might celebrate Goldman Sachs' troubles, but it's not. With each passing day we are learning more about the thugs taking to the streets. And while Obama is increasingly embracing the movement as his ticket to reelection, more serious Democrats are becoming alarmed at what they are finding.
Doug Schoen is one such Democrat. In an op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal, the former Clinton pollster warns Democrats not to embrace the Occupy Wall Street movement. Schoen sent one of the top researchers at his polling firm into the OWS crowd to interview 200 demonstrators. Here are some of his findings:
* 65% believe government should provide "health care, a college education, and a secure retirement-no matter the cost."
* "48% say they will vote to re-elect [Obama] in 2012, while at least a quarter won't vote."
* 31% "would support violence to advance their agenda."
Schoen writes, "What binds a large majority of the protesters together is a deep commitment to left-wing policies: opposition to free-market capitalism and support for radical redistribution of wealth." He bluntly concludes, "President Obama and the Democratic leadership are making a critical error in embracing the Occupy Wall Street movement -- and it may cost them the 2012 election."
Schoen's instincts are right, but we can't take anything for granted. Obama will have a huge war chest and the best campaign that money can buy. (More on that later.) But it speaks volumes about Obama's instincts that he is so eager to align himself with these radicals, and it tells you all you need to know about what a second Obama term would look like. America cannot afford four more years of Barack Obama!
Americans Blame Obama
Here's more proof that Obama and his liberal allies are making a mistake bashing Wall Street. According to the latest Gallup poll, 30% of Americans blame "big financial institutions" for the poor economy, but 64% blame "the federal government." Last time I checked, Barack Obama was in charge of the federal government. But rather than take responsibility for his failed policies, Obama is desperately resorting to class warfare and envy.
Moreover, the latest CNN poll finds that 59% of Americans think Obama's policies will fail. Only 36% think Obama's ideas will work. This is bad news for Barack Obama and the Occupy Wall Street movement. Americans aren't buying their snake oil socialism! (Gary Bauer)
ObamaCare Unraveling
Thirty lawsuits have been filed to stop ObamaCare. All the Republican presidential primary contenders promise to overturn it if elected. The Obama administration is asking the Supreme Court to hear the case, hoping it will uphold the law prior to the 2012 election. Yet this week, the administration admitted that one key promise of their effort to control 1/6th of the American economy and the healthcare of Americans from cradle to grave cannot be achieved.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced that the "Class Act," a long term care program for elderly Americans, cannot meet legal requirements within the law and must be scrapped. It costs too much. Retired Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) put a measure into the law requiring the administration to certify that the program is financially sustainable according to the actuarial tables. It is not. Experts say that the entire law would fail if required to meet this standard.
When he pushed it through the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid promised that the Class Act was "fully paid for." Despite Sebelius' admission, the President still does not want to repeal the measure. Meanwhile, with ObamaCare far from full implementation, the Congressional Budget Office announced that government spending for fiscal 2011 was a record $3.6 trillion.
- Pray that the attorneys who argue repeal before the Supreme Court will have God's favor regarding ObamaCare, that the law will be ruled unconstitutional and stricken in its entirety. May the next President and Congress deal a permanent blow to this socialistic plan.
- "When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation." (Proverbs 10:25) (Source: FRC Prayer Targets)
ObamaCare's Loan Survivor
If voters are looking for another reason to repeal ObamaCare, they need only to look at the Feds' financial aid program. A little known fact about the health care takeover is that the legislation also included a takeover of the student loan industry. And, as a direct result of that overhaul, Americans have witnessed a ballooning in the amount of student loans. While the decision may protect taxpayers in the short term (the government has broad collection powers under these new rules), the ease with which the loans are available is enslaving more young Americans in debt. That not only impacts their future--but the future of our entire nation. In 2010, student loans hit the $100 billion mark for the first time in U.S. history. According to the Federal Reserve, the total amount of money borrowed through student loans is expected to exceed $1 trillion this year, which is more debt than Americans currently owe on their credit cards!
Unfortunately for our country, these financial burdens are leading to troubling trends. Young people are launching their careers with massive amounts of debt, which has a ripple effect on the growth of the economy and the growth of American families. A recent paper by FRC Drs. Pat Fagan and Henry Potrykus explains the connection between population growth and growth in GDP. Essentially, policies that indirectly discourage family formation will also indirectly discourage economic growth. In response, FRC is proposing an alternative approach to funding college, which encourages state officials to keep college education costs in check and guides families to more affordable alternatives. (Family Research Council)
The Good News Corner:
The Story of a Song . . .
A remote mobile home gleams faintly in the crisp Autumn sunrise. Within that metal refuge in the high deserts of central Oregon, a young mother is having a quiet time with the Lord. Her toddler is still asleep. Her husband is a full time college student, and the couple is surviving on $400 per month. They have no home church, no friends nearby, and she does not drive. Even the expense of a long distance phone call might leave them without milk or bread in weeks to come.
Such is the backdrop of Laurie Klein's classic praise song, "Love You, Lord", written in 1974.
"It was a very hopeless time, a very depressed time," she summarizes. "I felt the poverty of my own life keenly at that point, both emotionally and physically."
"That morning I was so empty," she says, recalling her time with the Lord. "I knew I didn't have anything to offer Him. I asked if He would like to hear me sing . . if He would just give me something He would be in the mood to hear."
Klein describes "I Love You, Lord", as a gift from God that emerged spontaneously: "I sang the first half and put the chords with it with no effort," she says.
I love You Lord
and I lift my voice
To worship You
O my soul, rejoice!
Intrigued and moved by these words, she remembers thinking, "maybe I should write that down." She stopped long enough to get a pen. When she came back, the last two phrases came just as easily:
Take joy, my King
in what you hear
May it be a sweet, sweet sound
in Your ear.
[Enjoy today's worship . . . below . . .]
Worship with Us Today!
"I love you Lord " by Laurie Klein
"Take joy, my King, in what You hear . . .
Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear."
